Chapter 12: Style Thunder

“Smack!”

Jia Dongxu was slapped to the ground by Lin Shaowen, his face instantly marked with five palm prints.

“Lin Shaowen, why are you hitting people again?” Yi Zhonghai stormed over angrily.

“Yi Zhonghai, have you lost your mind? Didn’t you see he was the one who came at me first?” Lin Shaowen replied with a smile.

“You bullied my mother first,” Jia Dongxu yelled furiously.

“Exactly, that little brat bullied me... Uncle, you must stand up for me,” Jia Zhang also shouted.

“Lin Shaowen, how can you bully an elder?” Yi Zhonghai said righteously. “Jia Zhang is your senior, you should apologize quickly and pay Dongxu five yuan for medical expenses. Look at what you’ve done to him.”

“Yes, yes, pay up,” Jia Dongxu’s eyes lit up when he heard money, greed shining in his gaze. If he could also get Lin Shaowen’s bicycle, that would be even better.

“Why should I pay?” Lin Shaowen cocked his head. “Wasn’t it you who told Third Uncle yesterday that neighborhood disputes should be settled within the community? We’re all just neighbors having some fun.”

Yan Bugui, hearing this, immediately shot a sharp look at Yi Zhonghai. Indeed, yesterday Jia Zhang had broken his flowerpot, and it was settled with the excuse of neighbors just messing around. Now demanding Lin Shaowen pay was unreasonable.

“You...” Yi Zhonghai was left speechless.

“You’re full of it,” Lin Shaowen muttered, just as he reached for a cigarette, noticing Yan Bugui had silently appeared beside him. Smiling, he offered one to him.

“Lin Shaowen, I’m going to take you on,” Jia Dongxu, eyes reddened, prepared to rush forward but was held back by Qin Huairu.

“Dongxu, don’t.”

“Get out of the way.”

Jia Dongxu shoved Qin Huairu to the ground but then calmed down. Even the so-called “Battle God of the Siheyuan,” Sha Zhu, couldn’t beat this kid; there was no chance for him.

“Are we still fighting? If not, I’m going home,” Lin Shaowen yawned.

“You...” Jia Dongxu’s eyes reddened again.

“Enough, stop this. Everyone go home,” Yi Zhonghai scolded sternly.

“Tch.”

Lin Shaowen rolled his eyes and leisurely pushed his bike back into his courtyard.

“You little bastard, you’ll pay for this sooner or later,” Jia Zhang hissed through clenched teeth.

***

Lin Shaowen had intended to visit Director Wang at the street office but didn’t find her there. So, he left a message through someone, asking Director Wang to help find some reliable craftsmen to repair his house. Unexpectedly, he fell asleep waiting.

After an indeterminate time, he suddenly heard someone calling outside.

“Xiao Lin, is Xiao Lin living here?”

“Wait a moment.”

Lin Shaowen immediately got up and opened the door, seeing a dark-skinned man accompanied by two others standing in the courtyard.

“You are...?”

“Hello Xiao Lin, I’m Lei Dali, Director Wang sent me here,” the man said honestly.

“Oh, you’re craftsmen?” Lin Shaowen handed out cigarettes to the three.

Lei Dali wiped his hands on his clothes before taking one, while the two men with him hesitated to accept it. This was premium Da Qianmen tobacco.

“Quite well-mannered,” Lin Shaowen chuckled.

“Here, take them all,” Lei Dali said, blushing as the two finally took the cigarettes.

“To get straight to the point, I roughly drew up the design plans for the house,” Lin Shaowen said, handing the drawings to Lei Dali before continuing calmly, “Money isn’t an issue, but the work must be done well.”

“You can rest assured. If it’s not done well, you can come and smash my family’s signboard,” Lei Dali said with a hearty laugh.

“Your ancestors were...?”

“Yangshi Lei,” Lei Dali said proudly.

“Royal craftsmen, huh,” Lin Shaowen said in amazement.

In the craftsmen community of Si Jiu City, the Yangshi Lei name was highly esteemed. Their family had constructed almost all the royal gardens from the Ming and Qing dynasties, a legacy of great prestige.

“We’re just people of the public,” Lei Dali quickly added.

“All right, tell me how much it’ll cost to repair my house.”

Understanding Lei Dali’s hesitation, Lin Shaowen stopped joking around.

After carefully examining the plans and asking a few questions, Lei Dali calculated for a long time before saying, “Master, if you want the repairs done your way, it’s a big project. It’ll probably take over two weeks to complete.”

“Also, since you want the bathroom inside the room, the plumbing will have to be completely redone. Luckily, your house is next to the wall. If it were in the middle courtyard, the pipes would have to run through the whole yard, which is a huge job and likely wouldn’t get approval.”

“So, how much for everything?” Lin Shaowen asked.

“Four hundred. We’ll take the job,” Lei Dali quoted the price.

His two apprentices were shocked—four hundred yuan was a fortune. An ordinary worker would have to save for two years without eating or drinking to make that much.

“No problem. But I’m warning you, if the work isn’t good, don’t blame me for smashing your sign,” Lin Shaowen said, pulling out twenty large bills and handing half to Lei Dali. “When you reach the finishing stage, I’ll give you another hundred and fifty. After final acceptance, the balance. Agreed?”

“No problem, no problem,” Lei Dali was overjoyed. He had never met such a generous client before; usually, they only got a deposit before starting.

“By the way, a quick question,” Lin Shaowen lowered his voice. “You’re well connected—can you help me get a batch of wood for making furniture?”

“What kind of wood do you want?” Lei Dali also lowered his voice.

“Can you get Golden Phoebe? If not, Huanghuali will do. At worst, just some rosewood.”

“Well...” Lei Dali glanced at Lin Shaowen, hesitating.

“Don’t worry, everyone knows the score. It’s best if it’s from legitimate sources, but if not... I’ll find a way to get the permits,” Lin Shaowen assured him.

He wasn’t bluffing. Whether it was the Ministry of Industry or the steel mill, all needed wood. As for the type, unless officials were unusually idle and inspected wood usage at steel mills, it was quite safe.

“There’s a batch with proper paperwork... but the price isn’t cheap,” Lei Dali gritted his teeth.

“How expensive?” Lin Shaowen asked curiously.

“If you want a full set of furniture, it’ll cost this much...” Lei Dali held up a thumb.

“One hundred?”

“One thousand for Golden Phoebe.”

“Deal,” Lin Shaowen nodded. “Help me get the wood, and I’ll give you fifty yuan as a finder’s fee.”

“Fifty yuan?” Lei Dali’s two apprentices swallowed hard; this client was incredibly generous.

“All right, wait for my news,” Lei Dali agreed immediately.

“When do we start?” Lin Shaowen asked again.

“We could have started today, but since you bought that batch of wood, I asked them to prepare some other materials to give you a better set,” Lei Dali smiled.

“I’ll wait to hear from you then.”

Lin Shaowen’s opinion of Lei Dali improved greatly. Craftsmen these days were expensive, but he was genuinely doing everything he could to consider the client’s interests.